HERBS USED IN THE PRESENT TIME S5 



to its original self." ^ Superstitions connected with it 

 are myriad, and Folkard gives two Greek sayings that 

 are interesting. It was the custom among them to 

 border the garden with parsley and rue, and from this 

 arose an idiom, when any undertaking was talked of, 

 but not begun, "Oh! we are only at the Parsley and 

 Rue." Parsley was used, too, to strew on graves, and 

 hence came a saying " to be in need of parsley," signify- 

 ing to be at death's door. Mr Friend quotes an English 

 adage that " Fried parsley will bring a man to his saddle 

 and a woman to her grave," but says that he has heard 

 no reason given for this strange and apparently pointless 

 dictum. Plutarch tells of a panic created in a Greek 

 force, marching against the enemy, by their suddenly 

 meeting some mules laden with parsley, which the 

 soldiers looked upon as an evil omen ; and W. Jones, 

 in his "Crowns and Coronations," says, " Timoleon 

 nearly caused a mutiny in his army because he chose his 

 crown to be of parsley, when his soldiers wished it to 

 be of the pine or pitch tree." In many parts of England 

 it is considered unlucky, and I quote from a paper read 

 before the Devon and Exeter Gardeners' Association in 

 1807. "It is one of the longest seeds to lie in the 

 ground before germinating ; it has been said to go to 

 the Devil and back again nine times before it comes up. 

 And many people have a great objection to planting par- 

 sley, saying if you do there will sure to be a death in the 

 Family within twelve months." It is only fair to add 

 that this delightful lapse into folk-lore comes in the 

 midst of most excellent and practical advice for its culti- 

 vation. "Quite recently (in 1883) a gentleman, living 

 near Southampton, told his gardener to sow some Parsley 

 seed. The man, however, refused, saying that it would 

 be a bad day's work to him if ever he brought Parsley 

 seed into the house. He said that he would not mind 



1 Plant Lore and Garden Craft of Shakespeare. 



